The Waters of the Renaico River

The Renaico River is primarily fed by rainwater, so its current increases during the wintertime. This region has a temperate, albeit rainy, oceanic climate, meaning that the seasons here are clearly differentiated: it rains a lot during the winter and then more sporadically during the summer. However, as with the rest of the country, this region has been affected by a 14-year drought. The summers are becoming increasingly longer, hotter, and drier; the winters are becoming increasingly shorter and drier.

The water of the Renaico River is mainly extracted by the logging industry and used to irrigate large plots of farmland. To a lesser extent, its water is also used for human consumption and the irrigation of smaller, family-owned plots of land. In Chile, these latter farmers are organized into Rural Potable Water Associations (known by their Spanish-language acronym APR) [1].

(1) Rural Potable Water Associations (Asociaciones de agua potable rural, or APR): organizations recognized by the government that are charged with operating and administering the potable water and wastewater systems in a particular geographic area. For more information, see: https://doh.mop.gob.cl/SSR/index.html